Centenary’s Forum looks at Stem Cell Research March 21/28

SHREVEPORT, La. (Centenary College News Service) — The Forum, an annual event that examines social issues in open-to-the public sessions, will take place on Monday, March 21 and Monday, March 28. Each session begins at 7 p.m. and takes place in the Whited Room at Bynum Commons.

This year’s Forum will address "Stem Cell Research and Public Policy," and focus on such issues as if it should be allowed, what are the dangers or advantages, and if a policy can be crafted that respects the views of all.

Dr. Insoo Hyun

Dr. Insoo Hyun, associate professor of Bioethics and Director of the Case Western Reserve Stem Cell Ethics Center, will speak at the first session March 21 (UPDATE: see photos »), followed by a continuation of the topic March 28 by students and community members. A question and answer period will take place after the second session.

Dr. Hyun received his B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy at Stanford University and his Ph.D. in Philosophy at Brown University. In 2005, he received a Fulbright Research Award by the U.S. Department of State to study the ethical, legal and cultural dynamics of human research cloning in South Korea. In 2006 he chaired the Subcommittee on Human Biological Materials Procurement for the International Embryonic Stem Cell Guidelines Task Force, a multinational, multidisciplinary working group for the International Society for Stem Cell Research. In 2007 he served as Co-Chairperson of the ISSCR Task Force on International Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells. Dr. Hyun is the past-Chairperson of the ISSCR’s Ethics and Public Policy Committee.

Dr. Hyun’s articles have appeared in Science, Nature, Cell Stem Cell, Cell, The Hastings Center Report, and The Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, and many others. His book, Bioethics and the Future of Stem Cell Research, is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.

Dr. Chris Ciocchetti, assistant professor of philosophy, coordinates the annual Forum event, which presents discussions on various social issues and opposing points of view, and then features responses from students and members of the local community as well as audience questions.

Both events are free and open to the public. For further information, contact Dr. Ciocchetti at 318.869.5246 or visit the Forum web page at www.centenary.edu/forum.

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and has been recognized as "One of the Best 371 Colleges" by the Princeton Review and one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Private Colleges"